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For the second straight year, MIT has accepted a record low percentage of early action applicants, campus officials announced

Of this year’s 6,820 early action applicants, 612, or about 9 percent, were accepted to join the class of 2018.

The early action admission rate was slightly below the previous record low of 10 percent, which the institute accepted last year. The year before that, the school accepted 11 percent of early action applicants, though that was not a record low at the time.

“That we have so many highly qualified applicants is remarkable, and it makes the job of selecting among them quite difficult,” MIT Dean of Admissions Stu Schmill said in a statement. “Those we did admit truly are exceptional.”

The institute said more than one-third of the accepted group “have won national or international academic distinctions.”

“Those offered admission to the Class of 2018 are united by their exemplary academic records, exceptional character, and strong match with MIT's mission to make the world a better place,” the institute said in a statement.

The admitted students hail from 49 states, more than one-quarter identify as minorities, and 13 percent will be the first-generation in their family to attend college, campus officials said.

“We've spent the last two months getting to know these amazing young people through their applications, which is always so exciting for us,” Mikey Yang, associate director of admissions and director of the selection process said in a statement. “We can't wait to meet them in person and see what they do next.”

MIT said its early action program is nonrestrictive and nonbinding. Decisions were released online on Dec. 14.